Student Success and Opportunity
Together, we will support the access, affordability and achievement that results in students getting into UNM, thriving academically and graduating successfully. We will fund scholarships, both need-based and merit-based, while we enhance student engagement and retention.
UNM boasts one of the most diverse student populations in the country. Each semester, motivated and gifted students enroll seeking to complete a college degree, but barriers exist. Compared with those at peer institutions, UNM students are significantly more likely to be from low-income families. UNM has the highest rate of low-income students of any public flagship institution in the United States. Many are first generation college students or students financially responsible for the care of more than one generation while they attend school. Financial aid and scholarships solve the problem of affordability, and more scholarship opportunities based on need and talent will extend opportunity and retain the best and brightest.
UNM’s top priority is to increase access to academic and experiential opportunities—effective factors in improving retention and graduation rates. Research indicates that outside-the-classroom experience is the key to keeping students in school. We will increase support to fully engage students in research, field-based investigations, travel abroad programs, internships in the arts or business, experiential learning programs, collaborations with the community, and involvement outside the classroom in centers for recreation and study play a role in improved graduation rates.